Ultrasound Image-Based Visual Servoing of a Surgical Instrument Through Nonlinear Model Predictive Control

Abstract

Ultrasound image-guided interventions are widespread in surgery because of the non-invasive character of the procedures. However, hand/eye synchronization is relatively difficult for a surgeon. Ultrasound image-based visual servoing is one way to perform this kind of surgery. In this work, the control of instrument motion based on ultrasound images through nonlinear model predictive control is investigated. This new scheme ensures the convergence of the instrument to the desired position and also offers the possibility of satisfying constraints such as joint limits, actuator saturation and visibility preserving. This paper describes the proposed controller. The efficiency and the robustness of the proposed solution to control a six degree-of-freedom mechanical system is first illustrated by simulation. Experiments on a Mitsubishi PA10 robot highlight the efficiency of the vision control scheme to handle constraints of ultrasound image-based visual servoing.